Barwon Coast wins Excellence in Geographic Place Naming award

Press Release

Barwon Coast wins Excellence in Geographic Place Naming award

Barwon Coast and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation were proud to receive the 2023 Victorian ‘Excellence in Geographic Place Naming’ award for the Bukareeyoo naming process at the 2023 Geospatial Excellence Awards last month.

The Geospatial Excellence Awards (previously the Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards), held by the Geospatial Council of Australia, aim to celebrate the achievements of outstanding individuals and organisations within the geospatial sector.

The naming proposal was to name the area of Wadawurrung Country informally known as the Ocean Grove Spit, to ‘Bukareeyoo’ (pronounced Book-ar-ee-you) – a Wadawurrung word which means ‘between’. The name was given to the area by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.

Barwon Coast and Wadawurrung held a community sunrise ceremony on Saturday 26 August to celebrate officially returning Wadawurrung language to Country.

Quotes Attributable to Gary McPike, CEO Barwon Coast

“We are so pleased to receive the Excellence in Geographic Place Naming award alongside the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation for the project which has returned Wadawurrung language to a very special part of the Ocean Grove coastline.”

“This is significant recognition of the highly valued partnership we have with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. It underlines the importance of returning their language that has evolved over the millennia and is now returning following a brutal disruption over the last 150+ years.”

Quote attributable to Corrina Eccles, Cultural Strengthening General Manager, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation

“We acknowledge the partnership, engagement and commitment from Barwon Coast who deeply listened to us and walk alongside us, working tirelessly to make change to return this language name. Nyatne (thank you) Barwon Coast.”

“The renaming of Bukareeyoo, returning it to Country and place will see our language grow and flourish for decades, our language will be spoken by many every day, but we truly hope they listen to the story of the name, and stand and look and feel the story Bukareeyoo, between two waters a beautiful place on our Country, Wadawurrung Country.”

-ENDS-

Image L-R: Craig Sandy, Surveyor-General of Victoria; Corrina Eccles, Wadawurrung Cultural Strengthening General Manager, Aunty Mary Shuttleworth, Wadawurrung Elder; Gary McPike Barwon Coast CEO. 

Notes for editors:

Barwon Coast Committee of Management Inc. (Barwon Coast)

Barwon Coast Committee of Management Inc. (Barwon Coast) is appointed by the Victorian State Government to manage 19km of coastal Crown land through the Ocean Grove,  Barwon Heads and Breamlea townships, along the Bass Strait coast of the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Our vision is that the natural environment of our coastline will flourish whilst meeting the needs of our engaged communities. A major local employer in Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, we have more than 50 skilled employees from a diverse range of backgrounds working across the coastal reserve.

For further information contact:

• Ann Card, Communications & Engagement Coordinator
• (03) 5254 1118
• [email protected]